The Sri Lankan rupee edged higher on Friday on dollar inflows from remittances, while the market awaited more clarity on the budget policies announced a day earlier, dealers said.

Sri Lanka’s vehicles importers today said that the Excise Duties of several vehicles are expected to change in line with proposals announced in the 2018 Budget.

Sri Lanka says it will investigate allegations by more than 50 ethnic Tamils that they were abducted and tortured by police or army soldiers long after the end of the island nation’s civil war.

Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera presenting his maiden budget for 2018 envisions to increase the economic growth rate to 6 percent by 2020 from the current 4.5 percent.

The 72nd budget of independent Sri Lanka and the fourth of the incumbent government will be presented to Parliament by Minister of Finance and Mass Media, Mangala Samaraweera today (9) at 3:00 p.m.

Sri Lanka was set to receive a 40,000-tonne petrol shipment from the United Arab Emirates early on Thursday to help plug a fuel shortage triggered by panic buying, officials said, and India assured further help to its neighbour if needed.

The Ministry of Finance has reduced the special commodity levy on several essential items including potatoes, big onions, Dhal, coconut and vegetable oil.

The US has announced a grant of nearly $500,000 for organisations which can come up with ideas and projects to promote religious freedom in India and Sri Lanka.

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday appointed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to probe the cause of the crippling fuel shortage prevailing in the country.

Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said that spreading rumours through SMS messages and harassing individuals by means of telephone calls is a punishable offense.

The Secretary to the Petroleum Ministry stated that a circular will be issued today (7), on the issuance of petrol declaring that fuel should be pumped only to vehicles until the fuel crisis has been averted.

Sri Lanka’s fuel shortage will end on Nov. 9, Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said on Monday, as state-run oil retailer Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Lanka IOC traded blame charges over the shortage.

Seven persons reported dead and 44 others injured following a collusion between a bus and a 3-wheeler at Madurankuliya on the Colombo-Puttalam road.

The Petroleum Resources Ministry is to hold a crisis meeting today to address the fuel shortage as panic buying of fuel continued for the second day yesterday with the Ceylon Petroleum Cooperation struggling to meet demand.

Sri Lanka and China jointly launched the “Sri Lanka-China Logistics and Industrial Zone Office” in Sri Lanka’s southern port of Hambantota on Saturday.